If you’ve been experiencing lower back pain, take a few minutes to read this through and consider the sources that may be hurting you.

Certain nerves control certain functions in the body. Pain is only one of the functions. Certain nerves carry certain messages. Pain is what’s called a nociceptive signal sent to the brain in response to an even that could be painful.  Not all nociceptive signals are reproduced in the brain as pain though.  Sometimes the signal can be nociceptive, but the amplitude of the signal isn’t high enough to register as pain.  In this case it might only be a dull ache or nothing at all.  Take for instance a sports injury like cutting a finger in a football game and not feeling it; nociceptive thresholds can change due to your activity or due to such day to day things stress.

Lower back pain left alone too long may turn into things like sciatica or numbing and tingling in the leg, which could be sign of a herniated or bulging disc (disk). A lot of times I see improper foot bio-mechanics as the causative factor in chronic LBP. ‘Causative’ meaning THE primary reason for pain in the lower back, sacroiliac joints or hip pain or piriformis syndrome.

Many times a person may injure their low back and not notice the pain till that evening… or the next day. It’s possible that the injury was a muscle strain in this case and when activity decreases the muscle and the pain threshold ‘relax’ enough to notice the nociception to the point that the brain registers the signal as pain.

Bending forward and pulling weeds in the garden is a pretty common task, but if done for too long it can be similar to a lifting injury.  If you hear a ‘pop’ in your spine, it’s likely you over did it. Maybe a ligament injury or herniated disc. Maybe the pop was a strained muscle or a joint dysfunctionly moving.  Back off of your activity and rest immediately until you can be checked.  Letting an injury recover right away is always best – no matter how big or small the injury may seem.  Eventually, injuries will always catch up with us if we ignore them. Symptoms is your body’s way of communicating with you about it’s well-being…pay attention.

Lower back pain affects 80% of Americans at some point in their working lives.  All professions are susceptible too…office managers, receptionists, laborers, drivers, and CEO’s.  Injuries can be chronic in nature such as poor ergonomics.  Chairs with little support aren’t necessarily bad.  The important thing to consider is how well it fits you. Even the best chair with good support ‘steals’ the job of supporting your spine from your core spinal muscles.  Is support bad, no. The point is to maintain a level of fitness that is synonymous with your lifestyle so that YOUR spine can support itself and do what you ask of it.

Upper back pain, although not as common as lower back pain, plagues people every day. I’ll touch on a few of the common sources of upper and middle back pain.

Colorado chiropractors, given the huge number of recreational runners and outdoor enthusiasts; see upper back pain as a result of faulty biomechanics in a majority of the cases. Downtown Denver chiropractors may see more postural related upper back pain due to the frequency of office workers and repetitive stress or cumulative trauma injuries. Some of the best chiropractors, like Dr. Eben Davis, make a huge impact on treating these types of office related injuries naturally and drug and surgery free

When a person ‘runs too tight’ they strain muscles in and around the upper back around the trapezius and rhomboid muscles.  Underneath the ‘traps’ are ribs, and the heads of ribs.  This is where they articulate with the spine. There are joints here. These can become misaligned or subluxated. If an articulation is altered in anyway, this is called a subluxation. Besides sports injuries or poor posture, sometimes innocent things like coughing, twisting or sneezing can cause a rib to ‘come out.’ When they do it can feel like an ice pick on the inside of your shoulder blade.

I see it a lot.

To fix a subluxation, an adjustment can help a condition like this immensely- sometimes immediately.

Upper back pain has other sources too.  Spinal fractures, rib fractures, degenerative discs, trigger points, muscle spasms, referred pain from a lung disorder, and pinched nerves all can cause pain in your upper back.  These conditions are a little trickier to fix.

If you just slept wrong last night then it’s likely a rib isn’t articulating properly.  The symptoms you’d likely feel here are a sharp pain that may or may or may not radiate.  There might be some dull achy tendencies as well, but the most agonizing part of this is that you’re unable to turn your head or breathe properly.  Again, since the rib assists in all of these motions…that’s why it’ll re-create pain each time it’s called upon to move. This is when most people realize how important your rib cage is.

For temporary relief, magnesium sulfate can be used in a bath, frequently called Epsom salt. (Yes, your mother was right) Magnesium is a muscle relaxant.  It can also be taken orally; the taste isn’t all that great.  The relaxing effects can even be felt in the bowel.  Careful not to overdose orally, as this might induce very loose stools or diarrhea.

For other home exercises or proactive ways to prevent upper back pain you can also refer to a yoga practitioner, local chiropractor, physical therapist, or massage therapist.  Get help as soon as you can.  The longer a condition ‘wallows’ in pain, the harder it is to treat and recover from it.  Upper back pain is a game that’s a team sport…call on your spinal specialist as a teammate that can be your catalyst in recovering fast!

Being a Colorado sports chiropractor is the best. It’s a year-round affair.

Colorado is perpetually regarded as one of the healthiest states in the union. One of the biggest reasons, I believe, is due to the high participatory level of outdoor activities and sports. (Which is why I chose to make Colorado my home)

A few years ago I was given the honor of being Colorado’s Sports Chiropractor of the Year by the Colorado Chiropractic Association and CEPA’s (The chiropractic association for the Care of Elite and Professional Athlete’s) National Chiropractor of the Year. (blush, blush)

Because it’s just what I do, I understand it.

But you may not even be aware that a sports chiropractor can play an important role in the management and treatment of not only your injuries but your ability to perform and excel in your sport- whether it’s on a team or for you individually.

Here are some of the top athletes in the world explaining why they include chiropractic care in their sports medicine routine.

In the video below, you’ll see my good friend and mentor Nick Athens taking care of the San Francisco 49ers. (This is where I worked before moving my sports injury clinic to Colorado.)

Above is Joe Montana after his treatment here in Denver at Mile High Stadium.

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What’s the best lower back exercise? Drum roll please…

There isn’t one- but here’s what you really need to know to help get rid of low back pain.

There are literally hundreds of exercises and treatments for lower back pain. Some require expensive equipment, some are moves adapted from yoga or maybe it’s a lower back stretch or stress reduction technique. Plenty of things can be done at home. And when it comes down to it, you’re the one that has to choose what to do to help manage your pain.

How?

By listening to your body. One of the major virtues in life is to learn how to listen to the inner wisdom of your body. I mean really listen. Memorize the following rules, they’ll teach you how to choose the best lower back exercise.

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